Dolly Potter MD

Because the USA and Mexico would also be in the way which therefore wouldn't guarantee England the safe passage that you envisage here. But it does beg the question; are the current borders separating the confederations sufficient? Is Uzbekistan who are a former Soviet satellite state really Asian? Is Oceania a worthy confederation or should they be integrated into the rest of Asia like Australia has done? We can't have islander nations fighting over scraps, surely? American Samoa vs. Cook Island doesn't have any appeal does it? Australia are there to improve their own standards in football against technically superior teams and conversely we are there to improve the standards in Asian football. We provide a team who like to get physical with the opposition and it helps in the opponent's overall development that they are forced to find tactics to overcome this. And vice versa. To have competition domestically and internationally which didn't happen in Oceania has been the main attraction and will be most beneficial. But apart from that Australia's largest trading partners are all Asian, we look towards there and it is this region which keeps us afloat despite weak government. The links are stronger than you think. We are a part of the Pacific so I consider Australia a part of Asia. I think because Asian, CONCACAF and Oceanic football is so desperate, they should all be grouped in together. So perhaps 20 European teams, 5 South American, 5 African and four from Asia, Oceania and CONCACAF, then you wouldn't get the likes of Australia, New Zealand, Saudi, North Korea, Iran, Costa Rica and Jamaica making a mockery of it. There's too many shit countries in the World Cup, which is why the European Championships are always of a better quality. 17.5 - Europe 8 - Comnebol & CONCACAF 4.5 - Africa 1 (automatic) - Asia/Oceania. *Comnebol absorbs CONCACAF, forming a so-called Super Confederation. The usual & weaker CONCACAF participants (ie. Costa Rica & Jamaica) should be picked off by the Sth American opposition. Culturally, from a football standpoint - both in terms of 'style of play' & being a proper football country, Mexico are an obvious fit. United States' progression would suggest that they're be good enough to qualify via the lower ranked slots. *2nd and 3rd placed Asia/Pacific sides play-off against Africa & Europe for the final 2 spots. *The potential to have 26 of the 32 field, from a combination of Europe & Sth America, offers a fairer representation of football's power & talent-base. The maximum 3 slots for Asia is reflective of their status as football 'Johnny Come Latelys' and their on-field relevance, and takes away the current free ride given to the combined foursome of Japan, Sth Korea, Australia & Saudi Arabia.

Stade des Lumieres, Lyon (61,000).

Grand Stade, Bordeaux (42,000).

Arena of the Roses, Bulgaria (40,000+). As to whether the government can guarantee funds, as a public-private venture, is another matter. Unique design though.

Third choice at Arsenal?!? He'd be straight into their starting line up when fully fit. I've underlined the relevant part, of that original post.

My fear is that 20/20 cricket will kill off proper Test Match cricket - the thinking man's game. The signs are there already in Australia. Money talks, bullshit walks. What...... like Australia's most feared 20/20 batsman (Warner) fine-tuning his technique and trying to adapt his approach (re:aggression) to suit the longer form of the game.

Persons of non-Polynesian descent walking around with Island/'tribal art' tattoos.

Re: his effort off the post (2:58) Unlike De Jong to just half-heartedly poke a foot out before trying not to clatter into a teammate, after recovering at pace, as opposed to not going in like a battering ram. De Jong on the whole looked a bit tentative. Maybe Ben Arfa wasn't the only bloke out there facing a psychological block. Would be an ideal signing for Arsenal (as third choice, or a plan C) if they're priced out of any move for Goatze and Hazard.

Lusail Icon Stadium: Qatar WC.

Refurbished Stade Velodrome.

As a side-issue, to the OP, has Asian football provided anything of note to football, apart from providing the European superpowers (clubs) another lucrative revenue stream. It took a home tournament, complete with some dubious officiating, to deliver one romantic cinderella story for a co-host Asian lot. I don't begrudge the African continent success at the major tourneys though. The epicentre of the game will always be club football in Europe, and the contribution (as providers of raw talent) by the Africans has been immense. Asian talent doesn't really extend past the J-League, whose main claim to fame is that it provides a final port of call for Brazilians looking for a last paycheck. It's an insular football continent, of little consequence ability-wise with the leagues and shitty excuse for 'Champions League to match. In addition the qualification path for the WC, out of Asia, must be the easiest going round. It leaves little to the imagination as to why Australian powerplayers rallied so hard to get out of Oceania, and in to Asia........ Oman (who has been their biggest threat in the current group stage this time) or the 5th placed finisher out of Sth America. The qualification path of every continent, excluding Asia, are true wars of attrition where a single result/or upset can prove be costly, with the African system being particularly cutthroat in nature. If there's one confederation that should be stripped of a place or two, to give the WC qualification some balance across the board as something that should be properly earnt, it should be Asia ie. just one team from Asia. Unlikely to happen with FIFA playing the role of lapdog to the worlds strongest collective economy, and largest TV market.

On paper it's the second major test for our fullbacks (our defensive achilles heel) this season, following on from Spurs. City should be worth three goals, if Raylor & Simpson are isolated too often.

When did China ever win the WC you silly nugget? And the last time I was over there in Japan (2007) just about every domesticated animal I saw looked to be happy enough, well at least they didn't seem like they were suffering. And there's plenty more respect going around there than in the west, having witnessed it myself. And physically inadequate? Maybe if the sport were rugby, there would be little argument about that, but not football. The few examples like Iniesta, Xavi, Villa, Alves and Messi are all testament to that. Are your other 500 odd posts as stupid as this one man? Fuck me, by failing to get your steriotypes right you've failed even before you started. Why did you even bother? Yes it was Japan, over the US in penalties. My mistake in that case. Just as sad a day football nonetheless. China will be next eventually though, such is their drive for domination in all sports, even if amounts to the regimented taking of performance enhancers. And by that i refer to the Chinese Women's Swimming team (about a decade ago) and a long-held suspicion surrounding their long-distance runners (women again). Just about the an entire teamsheet, Asian, particularly the men's teams, are physically inadequate in terms of size, when paired against a physical and well-drilled European national side. They don't have at least one or two midfield enforcers to balance the scales in the engineroom, to protect their better ball-players. And the likes of Messi & Iniesta (ie. smaller playmakers (who are likely to be targeted) are protected by hardnosed/defensive midfielders in their respective sides. Spain are alot more than just a pretty ball-playing side nowadays, they have steel about them now. Whereas at the WC in Germany, where the Socceroos on a big-stage under Guus.H were as well-drilled as most of the Europeans outfits at that tourney, physically wore them down. Did i mention domesticated animals, in relation to the Japs, you zip-eyed sympathizing tossbag. As a starter take a trip to the fishing township of Taijii, which unfortunately was spared the full brunt of the tsunami, and that's all the evidence you need, in reference to what i said earlier...... as the for Chinese, don't get me started there. The East-Asians, as far as animal & human rights go with an emphasis to the former, are a bloody on the human species.. If it wasn't for strength of the Asian economy, with Western countries always looking to protect/maintain their trade interests, real pressure would be applied to the likes of Japan and China. And the International Whaling body is as corrupt as FIFA. Chug down a cup of Saki, Kenabi. Let's make this quick; -Apology accepted, shit-for-brains, the Japs did win the Women's WC. Japan and China are two seperate, soveriegn nations mate, like England and Scotland are. Do you understand? In both cases there is a bit (or a lot) of animosity between each other. Which is why Andy Murray is British when he's winning and Scottish when he's losing. - Spain are 'steely' are they mate? Fuck off man. Del Bosque may be trying to experiment a bit now but only to his detriment. Portugal tried to be 'steely' under Quiroz and look what happened and England and Holland are 'steely' only because of lack of depth in talent, or in England's case a lack of anything technical and so they park the bus. - You never divulged about animals you inbred cunt, if you are that hardcore into anti-whaling, fuck off and join greenpeace and make a difference. Take your hairy arm-pitted lass with you too. -Where is Taijii and what happens there? Is this a lesson you learnt off YouTube? Post it up man. I haven't seen it. Are you a vegan? Do you get agro when someone swats a fly and kills it? - China will be the sole dominant force in the world within a decade. Not looking forward to it. Tbh it's going to be a cunt. A lesson learnt on Youtube, LOL. There's an Oscar winning doco out there, about the subject (ie. Taiiji). BTW i'm not a Vegan, i like a fillet steak. However, unlike the dumb-as-dogshit East Asians - emphasising the Japs once again, We/Westerners are well aware of the health risks associated with eating whale,dolphin and orca meat. With the East Asians it's all about excess, they are rapists of the ecosystem and Western-fishermen are aware of how important it is to maintain the status quo at the top of the food-chain, afterall Dolphins/larger sharks/Whales etc pick off the weak and the diseased. In addition the Asian methods are morally corrupt, once again i bring up the notion that Asians are indifferent to suffering. Enjoy a bowl of shark-fin soup, on your next visit to Japan.

Especially with Bernstein (a nemesis of Ashley) at the helm.

When did China ever win the WC you silly nugget? And the last time I was over there in Japan (2007) just about every domesticated animal I saw looked to be happy enough, well at least they didn't seem like they were suffering. And there's plenty more respect going around there than in the west, having witnessed it myself. And physically inadequate? Maybe if the sport were rugby, there would be little argument about that, but not football. The few examples like Iniesta, Xavi, Villa, Alves and Messi are all testament to that. Are your other 500 odd posts as stupid as this one man? Fuck me, by failing to get your steriotypes right you've failed even before you started. Why did you even bother? Yes it was Japan, over the US in penalties. My mistake in that case. Just as sad a day football nonetheless. China will be next eventually though, such is their drive for domination in all sports, even if amounts to the regimented taking of performance enhancers. And by that i refer to the Chinese Women's Swimming team (about a decade ago) and a long-held suspicion surrounding their long-distance runners (women again). Just about the an entire teamsheet, Asian, particularly the men's teams, are physically inadequate in terms of size, when paired against a physical and well-drilled European national side. They don't have at least one or two midfield enforcers to balance the scales in the engineroom, to protect their better ball-players. And the likes of Messi & Iniesta (ie. smaller playmakers (who are likely to be targeted) are protected by hardnosed/defensive midfielders in their respective sides. Spain are alot more than just a pretty ball-playing side nowadays, they have steel about them now. Whereas at the WC in Germany, where the Socceroos on a big-stage under Guus.H were as well-drilled as most of the Europeans outfits at that tourney, physically wore them down. Did i mention domesticated animals, in relation to the Japs, you zip-eyed sympathizing tossbag. As a starter take a trip to the fishing township of Taijii, which unfortunately was spared the full brunt of the tsunami, and that's all the evidence you need, in reference to what i said earlier...... as the for Chinese, don't get me started there. The East-Asians, as far as animal & human rights go with an emphasis to the former, are a bloody on the human species.. If it wasn't for strength of the Asian economy, with Western countries always looking to protect/maintain their trade interests, real pressure would be applied to the likes of Japan and China. And the International Whaling body is as corrupt as FIFA. Chug down a cup of Saki, Kenabi.

Probably skinned alive first..... intact fur and all.

A fitter and trimmer Mike Ashley, from his squash playing days, complete with racquet-in-hand would be more appropriate. A fair trade-off, and a fitting shit sandwich, for sparing the club from further interest payments re: stadium related debt.

From the perspective of earnings potential, one would think (and this relates more to the Japs) baseball offers a more lucrative career pathway. The Jap Baseball League is huge, pays well, and it's a feeder system/league for the American Major League. At a talent base level (ie. grassroots level) they're probably not that far behind their US and Cuban counterparts too - they can knock them off on any given day. BTW China winning the Women's WC was a sad day for World Football. Blindly buying merchandise, as the proverbial 'Johnny Come Lately' European Football Supporter, is a more fitting place for this lot. The last thing you would wish on anybody was to be a POW of the Jap Military, in WW2. As a race (Chinese & Japs especially) they're ingnorantly indifferent to suffering, in regards to human & animal suffering. Watching their physically inadequate national teams being beaten-up by more imposing outfits (at the major tourneys) is like catching a lone ray of sunshine on a cloudy day

Although the current scandal doesn't fall under 'athletics infractions", there's a wide call for the rarely used death penalty to be thrown at the progamme.

We'll probably need a replacement for Collo, in the Summer. It should be the first order of business in the event of us selling him January (which i think we'll do) and subsequently failing to secure a replacement after a belated last-minute scramble on January 31st.

As I say, I'm OOT at the moment, but I get the impression just from what I've seen of this thread that the local reaction to the name change is far in excess of the proposal under the Halls to up sticks entirely to build a bigger stadium. People were calling the hippies worse than muck for putting a stop to that at the time as I recall. So it's not the fact that the name is changing that's annoying people imo, it's the reasons given, the actual reasons and the way Ashley goes about it that cause people to react more passionately and cling onto what remaining pieces of the past they have. Under the old plan to move the whole stadium, the reasons were genuine, would have benefited the entire region as well as the club, and would have left something on the old site that honoured the history of the place. Even the opponents of the move could see the benefits and things were done right. So I don't think in a general sense, outside the current situation, Newcastle fans are opposed to change whatever the cost in terms of being able to compete. In this instance though, people can see there is no benefit whatsoever for the club here, only for Mike Ashley and Sports Direct. I know it's another market, and i don't have a concerted interest in baseball, but the most relateable move would be the rebuilt Yankees stadium in NY. There's talk of plans to rebuild Fenway Park too, in Boston, where characteristics (like the Green Monster Wall) will be incorporated into the new design, and of course the name remains. I'm not against keeping up with the times, or keeping on par with the competition in an increasingly commercialised market, but it can be handled with a bit of class & respect to the club's history. It's been tastefully done, with respect to the NY example, and we're taking about upping sticks from more than just an icon - it was a beacon for the blue-collar work sector there. Of any sport in the world i think the some of the old baseball grounds (and possibly some the college football venues) are the only ones that match the heritage value of the European grounds. It would take some set of balls, on the part of a corporation and a club owner to allow it, to sell stadium naming rights of a pre-existing & iconic stadium though. I couldn't imagine the outcry if a 'Johnny Come Lately' club owner akin to Ashley, whose only interest involves the marketing of his 'child' company/conglomerate of brands, re-branded an iconic venue like Wrigley Field.

The most disgusting set of actions (or lack-of in this case) put into a play, by a coach and most influential figure at a club/sport programme. College sports' governing body can be heavy handed, and justafiably so in some cases, and maybe the public hanging of a reverred sporting figure isn't the end of this one. As a story itself, on the basis that it is a massive shake-up for a club, and not for the better, it's right up there with Heysel.

Many stadiums in Australia have been shared venues over the years, particularly Aussie Rules and Rugby League. A historical claim to any one venue, on the supporters' part, is a non-factor when compared to a place of such historical significance (as SJP) in a one-team city. Football supporters in Oz don't bat an eyelid in the instance of a stadium name change, and this plays a major part. Hardly anybody in Brisbane refers to Suncorp Stadium as 'Lang Park' anymore.

I'm tempting fate to even suggest this even if it"s more of a pisstake remark directed at the current situation. What next... as the proverbial two fingered salute at the club's heritage continues to linger, and this is the bonus for him re- the mutual level disdain that exists between owner & supporter, all the while SD continues to absorb NUFC into it's global conglomerate of brands? ...... blue & red trimming, to accompany the black & white stripes, on future instalments of the home kits?

Bring on the mooted Jumbotron screen/s, complete with bombardment advertising.